Sage Gourmet hosts grand opening Friday

Kitchen shop is at 416 N. Main St.

Sage Gourmet owners, from left, Valerie Welbourn, lChrissy Filka and Laurie Bakke stand in their new story on Main Street in Hendersonville.

Patrick Sullivan / Times-News

By NANCY TANKERTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 4:37 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, October 31, 2013 at 4:37 p.m.

In the past year, downtown Hendersonville has lost two shops that sold gourmet kitchen items, leaving a gaping hole in the local market.

Valerie Welbourne's Main Street bookstore, The Fountainhead, is located near the stores that closed. When multiple customers came to her asking where to buy kitchen or gourmet items, Welbourne took note. She mentioned the encounters to Chrissy Filka, who owns The Beehive Resale Shop, also on Main Street, and Laurie Bakke, who operated Café Laurie until she sold it in 2007.

"The three of us bonded when we joined the Adventure Cooks cookbook book club at the Fountainhead," Filka said. Soon, the three partnered to launch Sage Gourmet, a gourmet kitchen store at 416 N. Main St. that is hosting its grand opening on Friday.

"All three of us share a love of preparing and eating food," Filka said. "Valerie and I have retail backgrounds and Laurie has a cooking background, so how can we go wrong?"

Filka has owned The Beehive for seven years. Welbourne has owned The Fountainhead for five years, and Bakke owned Café Laurie in Hendersonville for six years. She has also served as the executive sous chef at Highland Lake Inn in Flat Rock and is the author of two cookbooks, the latest being "Laurie Bakke's Cookbook."

The shop's sign says it carries products "for the vibrant kitchen."

"A vibrant kitchen is full of life," Filka explained. "It's the center of the home and a magnet for family and friends. It doesn't have to be huge or filled with stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops. It's more of a feeling. We cater to the cook who is looking for quality items at a good price. We carry many lines that you can't get anywhere else in Hendersonville."

Sage Gourmet has "lots of cutting-edge gadgets in new materials like bamboo and silicone. We also have great cookbooks, glassware, bake ware, barbecue items, cocktail items, lots of wine gadgets, napkins, bowls, and serving pieces. We also have some food products, including olive oils and vinegars and some local jams and honey."

The shop also has holiday gifts and a special section for men.

Sage Gourmet's grand opening party kicks off at 5:30 p.m. There will be snacks, door prizes and tastings of wine, olive oils and vinegars.

Martha Ezzard, author of the recently released book "Second Bud: Deserting the City for a Farm Winery," will also be on hand to sign copies of her book and share her story. An award-winning columnist with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution following a career in politics and law, Ezzard gave up her career to help her husband, Dr. John Ezzard, save a 100-acre family farm near the town of Tiger, Ga. Today Tiger Mountain Vineyards is a thriving enterprise whose wines have garnered much praise. The grand opening includes tastings of wines from the vineyard.

Filka said the public is welcome at the grand opening. "Shopping downtown is so much better now that the construction is over — finally," she said. "The sidewalks are wide, the new landscaping is lovely and the fall weather is perfect" for a stroll down Main Street.

<p>In the past year, downtown Hendersonville has lost two shops that sold gourmet kitchen items, leaving a gaping hole in the local market. </p><p>Valerie Welbourne's Main Street bookstore, The Fountainhead, is located near the stores that closed. When multiple customers came to her asking where to buy kitchen or gourmet items, Welbourne took note. She mentioned the encounters to Chrissy Filka, who owns The Beehive Resale Shop, also on Main Street, and Laurie Bakke, who operated Café Laurie until she sold it in 2007. </p><p>"The three of us bonded when we joined the Adventure Cooks cookbook book club at the Fountainhead," Filka said. Soon, the three partnered to launch Sage Gourmet, a gourmet kitchen store at 416 N. Main St. that is hosting its grand opening on Friday. </p><p>"All three of us share a love of preparing and eating food," Filka said. "Valerie and I have retail backgrounds and Laurie has a cooking background, so how can we go wrong?"</p><p>Filka has owned The Beehive for seven years. Welbourne has owned The Fountainhead for five years, and Bakke owned Café Laurie in Hendersonville for six years. She has also served as the executive sous chef at Highland Lake Inn in Flat Rock and is the author of two cookbooks, the latest being "Laurie Bakke's Cookbook."</p><p>The shop's sign says it carries products "for the vibrant kitchen."</p><p>"A vibrant kitchen is full of life," Filka explained. "It's the center of the home and a magnet for family and friends. It doesn't have to be huge or filled with stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops. It's more of a feeling. We cater to the cook who is looking for quality items at a good price. We carry many lines that you can't get anywhere else in Hendersonville."</p><p>Sage Gourmet has "lots of cutting-edge gadgets in new materials like bamboo and silicone. We also have great cookbooks, glassware, bake ware, barbecue items, cocktail items, lots of wine gadgets, napkins, bowls, and serving pieces. We also have some food products, including olive oils and vinegars and some local jams and honey." </p><p>The shop also has holiday gifts and a special section for men. </p><p>Sage Gourmet's grand opening party kicks off at 5:30 p.m. There will be snacks, door prizes and tastings of wine, olive oils and vinegars. </p><p>Martha Ezzard, author of the recently released book "Second Bud: Deserting the City for a Farm Winery," will also be on hand to sign copies of her book and share her story. An award-winning columnist with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution following a career in politics and law, Ezzard gave up her career to help her husband, Dr. John Ezzard, save a 100-acre family farm near the town of Tiger, Ga. Today Tiger Mountain Vineyards is a thriving enterprise whose wines have garnered much praise. The grand opening includes tastings of wines from the vineyard. </p><p>Filka said the public is welcome at the grand opening. "Shopping downtown is so much better now that the construction is over — finally," she said. "The sidewalks are wide, the new landscaping is lovely and the fall weather is perfect" for a stroll down Main Street.</p><p><i>Reach Tanker at 828-694-7871 or nancy.tanker@blueridgenow.com.</p>